not needed
Turpel-Lafond Refuses to Accept Waiver of Identity Verification for Second Honorary Degree
VICTORIA – The Royal Roads University says it has accepted the return of an honorary doctorate from retired judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who was the subject of a CBC probe last fall over her claims about Indigenous heritage.
A statement from the University of Victoria says it contacted Turpel-Lafond after launching a review in response to public concerns.
The statement said Turpel-Lafond voluntarily returned the degree canceled by the university.
It said the school’s review process included consulting with Indigenous and academic peers and its advisory committee on honors and awards.
It is the second honorary degree Turpel-Lafond is giving up after Vancouver Island University made a similar announcement last month.
A number of other schools have confirmed they review the honors degrees awarded to her, including the University of Regina, as well as the Universities of Carleton, McGill, Brock, Mount Saint Vincent and St. Thomas.
Turpel-Lafond previously told CBC that during her childhood she did not question the biological ancestry of her father, who she said was Cree.
She served as British Columbia’s representative for children and youth and was an associate professor of law at the University of BC until December
Until last year, she was also the academic director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Center at UBC.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 7, 2023.
SHARE:
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you don’t have a Torstar account yet, you can create one now (it’s free)
Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct. The star does not support these opinions.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
